The office for national statistics published that there were 403,568 shoplifting cases in the whole of the United Kingdom in 2023.
After the recent jailing of a man who threatened Sainsbury’s staff it raises a larger question, are supermarket staff at risk and do they feel safe working there?
The attempted robbery took place in the Newhall Sainsbury’s local store at 9:15pm on Wednesday, February 14.
The man carried a knife and used it to threaten the staff for money. He has been sentenced to 36 months in prison.
One staff member at the Nunnery Street store said: “We take security very seriously in the store, we have cameras and a guard on the door for protection.
“I do feel safe at work.”
Store manager Adam Lester said:
“We see shoplifters and shady characters in the store very often however, the staff have not been actively threatened with any weapons thankfully.
“Our security are very switched on in making sure we are safe.”
When asked if he had ever encountered any threats towards him, he said: “Thankfully nothing physical, only verbal.
“I have seen plenty of shoplifters who run in quickly grab a steak then run out.”
This is not just a Derbyshire problem as many stores nationwide face similar threats and robberies.
Beth Chattfield who worked for M&S in Derby said: “We dealt with shoplifters almost daily, often they are only there to steal cheese and steaks, so we have very little interactions with them.
“We are trained to not get involved or try to stop them and leave that to the security.
“I always felt safe and was never threatened at work.”
Clearly, staff feel safe at work as the supermarkets value the protection of their staff.
